NEW DELHI: Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president and actor Kamal Hassan on Saturday said that no one should be forced to learn another language. At one event, Hassan said, “I will learn whatever languages I need to learn, but my mother tongue will always be Tamil. I know 6 languages, still trying to learn more. Students need to learn 2 languages. If they are interested, they can learn more as per their wish, but no one should be forced to learn more…” Haasan triggered a controversy after expressed his deep connection to Tamil while promoting his movie ‘Thug Life’ in Bengaluru.“Uyire Urave Tamizhe (My life and my family is Tamil),” Haasan said.Haasan had reportedly said that “Kannada is born out of Tamil.” Turning to Shivarajkumar, who was sharing the stage with him, he remarked, “Actor Shivarajkumar is my family living in another state. Your language was born out of Tamil. So, you are included in that line.”Haasan had to leave the venue before members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike could confront him.The language row started after the Three-Language Policy, as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, has been introduced which mandates that students learn three languages during their school education. It emphasizes promoting multilingualism and aims to balance national unity with regional diversity. The policy allows states and institutions flexibility in choosing which languages to include, with the core principle that at least two of the three languages should be native to India.
